ANI

Patna, Feb 7:  The image of Gabbar Singh, the villain, played by Bollywood actor Amjad Ali Khan in Ramesh Sippy’s blockbuster “Sholay” (1975) is being revisited by remake of the film.

The remake “Gabbar” is in Bhojpuri language.

Produced by director Ekta Kapoor, “Gabbar” has been made with a budget of rupees two crores (20 million rupees). The film has been directed by Mahesh Pandey who has also played the role of “Veeru” in the film.

Heartthrob of Bhojpuri film industry actor Ravi Kishen has played Gabbar Singh’s role in the film.

Released last Friday, Gabbar is making waves all over Bihar, eastern Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand where Bhojpuri language is widely spoken. Ekta and Shoba Kapoor are the joint producers of the film.

Ekta’s father and Cine Star Jeetendra has played the role of “Thakur”. The same role was originally played by late Sanjeev Kumar in “Sholay” in which the retired police officer’s entire family is wiped out leaving behind his young daughter-in-law by a runaway dacoit Gabbar Singh and his army. And, the officer takes his revenge with the help of two tricksters “Jai” and “Veeru” played by Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra in the film.

Whereas in this newly released film, “Gabbar” is a retired soldier who turns a dacoit due to a conspiracy and following odd incidents in his personal life. The film showcases how an army man errs on account of circumstances and why he wears the army olive greens and is good at wielding the gun.

According to director Mahesh Pandey, it is a tribute to Bollywood's popular villain Gabbar Singh.

"We did take inspiration from Sholay but the pubic response that we have got is good. We maintained the spirit of the older version. Our hard work has been appreciated by the people of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Mumbai," said Mahesh Pandey, actor and director of Gabbar.

The role of “Basanti” has been played by Mona Thiba. She is a police inspector in the movie. It was originally played by actor Hema Malini in Sholay.

Radha, originally played by Jaya Bachchan in Sholay as a widow who develops affection for one of the thugs “Jai” (Amitabh Bachchan), is no more shown as a widow in “Gabbar”.

The changes made for brining certain twists and turns in the original portrayal of the film, the producers hope will be liked by the audiences in cinema halls. "The most important thing for me was to do the role of Basanti. When Maheshji offered me the role I was very happy. People are comparing me with Hema Malini, but it's not true because this film has only the basic characters of the Sholay. The story is entirely different. People will enjoy it. My character involves a big suspense, which the audience will come to know only after watching the movie. It's a totally masala film and my transformation in the role is worth watching," said Mona Thiba, the actress.

The makers of the film believe that the Bhojpuri movie is going out to be a lot better than the recent flop film Ram Gopal Varma ki Aag that was also a remake of Sholay.